Linked by Howard Fosdick on Wed 28th Nov 2012 01:24 UTC
The clock is ticking for XP users, with Microsoft ending support with its final security update after 11 years on April 8, 2014. Netmarketshare's desktop browser statistics show 40% of users are still using XP, totalling about 500 million users (versus Windows 7 at 45% and Vista at 6%). Gartner and Forrester analysts predict that 10% to 20% of enterprise PCs will be running XP after April 2014. Options for companies include: speed up XP conversions, sign up for Microsoft's Custom Support Program for after-retirement support, and add a supported browser to XP to replace unsupported IE8.
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Member since:2010-01-21
We just need to get rid of the Old hats who think all the software we use in Linux NEEDS to be free and Open, that's what's holding Linux back.
Depends on your definition of "get rid of the Old hats...". Mind clarifying which old hats you're talking about?
1. The ones making platform design decisions that are hostile to closed-source software? Good luck finding any.
I've bought a ton of Humble Indie Bundles and some games off Desura and the only problem I've ever run into is situations where one game requires PulseAudio while another causes it to go crazy.
(And, 99% of the time, that was fixed by teaching the devs that PulseAudio isn't as universal and stable as lennartp told them and suggesting a wrapper like OpenAL instead. The other 1%, I run the Windows version in Wine... which is one of the things that causes PulseAudio to go nuts.)
2. Users who refuse to run closed-source software? Good luck with that.
I have a strict policy that, aside from games (which are too "disposable" to be refined slowly over a decade) the only closed-source allowed on my system is my BIOS (and BIOS != UEFI), my nVidia binary drivers, Flash (until H.264 vs. WebM is settled), Skype (until WebRTC matures), and the copy of Opera I use to test my creations.
...and I'm not an "old hat". I've only been running Linux since part-way through the WinXP lifecycle (less than 10 years) and demand open-source for the same reason I don't run Steam: I prefer to have the power to fix my own problems and hate companies having me by the balls.
3. Developers who refuse to write closed-source software for Linux because they think nobody will use it? I'm all for that.
Goodness knows there are enough old Humble Bundle games that only receive updates for the Windows and Mac ports because their devs don't give a damn.
Edited 2012-11-28 12:40 UTC
Features
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/21/13 21:38 UTC
At an event earlier today, Microsoft unveiled the next Xbox - the third model, but confusingly named Xbox One. The big focus was TV, integrated Kinect, and all the other stuff we all expected to be forced down our throats. I think it took them 25 minutes to actually come to what should be the core of the story: gaming. Nothing groundbreaking in the gaming department, except for how Microsoft intends to handle the used games market and borrowing games from friends: pay up, buddy!
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/20/13 11:29 UTC
The day has finally come! Jolla has finally announced the launch device for its Sailfish operating system - and by god this is a looker. It's decidedly different from other phones out there, but it has good specifications and carries a relatively reasonably price tag - EUR 399, and it's up for pre-order today, shipping in the fourth quarter of this year.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/18/13 21:33 UTC
Why does Google get so much credit in the technology industry? Why, despite the company's many obvious failings, do many geeks and enthusiasts still hold a somewhat positive view on the all-knowing technology giant? A specific talk at Google I/O this week provides the answer.
Linked by David Adams on 05/16/13 4:23 UTC
OSNews is a sponsor of this year's O'Reilly OSCON in Portland, Oregon, USA. A lucky OSNews reader will win a free three-day pass, including two tutorials days. To win the pass, post a comment on this story saying something about Open Source Software or OSCON. We'll pick a winner at random next week. If you don't have an OSNews account, you may email us your entry. Part of the conference is the 9th annual Open Source Awards, and today the 16th is the deadline for nominations. If you'd like to nominate an outstanding open source contributor, do it here. Read on for more information about OSCON. Update: The 20% discount code for OSNews readers is "OSN."
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/11/13 21:41 UTC
"Windows is indeed slower than other operating systems in many scenarios, and the gap is worsening." That's one way to start an insider explanation of why Windows' performance isn't up to snuff. Written by someone who actually contributes code to the Windows NT kernel, the comment on Hacker News, later deleted but reposted with permission on Marc Bevand's blog, paints a very dreary picture of the state of Windows development. The root issue? Think of how Linux is developed, and you'll know the answer.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/08/13 14:22 UTC
This is one of those news items that's fun to write, fun to read, fun to comment on, and where no one will be able to say anything unkind. It's all just one big ball of awesome fluffiness. TuneTracker, the BeOS radio automation software, has just released something very special: TuneTracker System 5, the first version designed entirely and specifically for Haiku. In fact, it actually includes Haiku in the software package. Better yet, TuneTracker also unveiled several system-in-a-box products - which have Haiku and TuneTracker pre-installed.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 05/02/13 15:28 UTC
Exactly twenty years ago, a document was published that played a huge role in establishing the web as we know it today. Twenty years later, and this simple and straightforward document is proof of an irrefutable fact: while closed technologies can change markets, open technologies can change the world.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/29/13 21:06 UTC
Oh multitasking. That staple of computing that got thrown out the window with many modern smartphones. We got some rudimentary thing in its place - but even as multitasking on phone and tablets improves, its user-visible side remains cumbersome. Windows 8 has a neat implementation, and now it's time Android follows in it footsteps.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/24/13 22:24 UTC
They're here! Whether that excites you or not remains to be seen, but the Galaxy S4, which will most likely become the best selling Android smartphone of the year by a huge margin, has been reviewed by all the major sites, and there's lots of interesting conclusions in there - although I think most of you will get the gist.
Linked by Thom Holwerda on 04/18/13 11:21 UTC
Nokia has posted its quarterly results for the first quarter of 2013, and just like the quarters that came before, there's not a whole lot of good news in there. The rise in Lumia sales still can't even dream of making up for the sales drop in Symbian phones, and when broken down in versions, the sales figures for Windows Phone 8 Lumias in particular are very disappointing. In North America, Nokia is getting slaughtered.More Features »
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2005-07-06
I made the switch to Xubuntu six months ago, best decision I ever made. After you get over that '3 day hump' you are fine. Whomever said gaming isn't for Linux users, I disagree. I been having a blast and have amassed quite a collection of native games.
RC Mini Racers was just released, it's like a Revolt clone. Been having lots of fun with that. I never used any Office products so that wasn't a problem for me. Sure I miss some of my games, but they were very old and I found substitutes.
I was a hardcore MS user since 1998. I had zero problems making the switch. Just ditch your MS partition and move that out of your head. I don't why people bash Linux so much, it's silliness, I guess they are afraid.
If you can switch from XP to 8 then you can damn well switch from XP to Linux. No more excuses because I did it. We just need to get rid of the Old hats who think all the software we use in Linux NEEDS to be free and Open, that's what's holding Linux back.